Pesticides are chemicals used in plants and crops to ward off insects that cause damage to the plant. Pesticides are chemicals that seem important in commercial crop productions because they help farmers in warding off pests in the crops. Pesticides are Toxins in and on our food, which are harmful to our body. These cause a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from simple skin rashes to death. The toxins that they spread to plants may cause a lot of hazardous effects on a human body when consume by a human. It causes a lot of harmful effects either from deliberate or accidental direct consumption. The inappropriate application resulting in the pesticide coming into direct contact with people or wildlife or the inhalation of aerial sprays is very dangerous to everyone.
Most pesticides are really dangerous when accidentally put into human consumption. Five common types of deadly pesticides are the herbicides, fungicides, heavy metals, insecticides and DDT, which was banned long ago but its residue still exist.
Herbicide
Weeds can sometimes be also a pest in the crop field. Herbicides kill the unwanted weeds in the field without affecting the crops. It is used to against unnecessary plants. The selective herbicides remove specific plants while leaving the desired crop rather safe. Herbicides that are used in clearing industrial sites, waste ground and railways are herbicides that can kill all types of plants that are on the way. This makes the clearing operation much easier. Small quantities of non-selective pesticides are widely used in pasture systems, forestry, and the habitat of various animals. Herbicides have a high variable toxicity. It is one of the possible causes of carcinogenicity as well as other continuing problems such as being a part cause of Parkinson’s disease.
Fungicides
Fungicides are chemical or biological substance used against fungi or fungal spores. It causes serious damage in crop growing. It causes serious losses of yield decreasing the income of farmers. It is also used to scrap fungal infections in the animals. Residues of the fungicides have been found on the food that humans consume.
Heavy Metals
Plants also take up small amounts of heavy metals and can concentrate them. The different heavy metals are proved to be hazardous to human health and are toxic in limiting values. Heavy metals such as lead and cadmium are already toxic in small quantities. Heavy metals are found in most pesticides like fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Heavy metals like cadmium, cobalt, copper nickel, iron and other dangerous substance are found in most of these pesticides. If consume, it causes a lot of defects in animals and humans.
Insecticides
The insecticide is a pesticide used against insects that damages the crops. The insecticide is used in agriculture, industry, medicine, and in the household. The use of insecticides is very useful to farmers but very harmful to anyone who accidentally consumes it. Most of the insecticides have the latent possibility of changing ecosystems and many are very harmful to humans.
DDT
Most types of pesticides are banned as they contain relentless toxins which have adverse effects on humans and animals. DDT or dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is a powerful pesticide that is long banned because it is poisonous to humans and animals. It is a particular example of a widely used and misused pesticide. One of the better known effects of DDT is the decrease in the bird population as it reduces the thickness of the egg shells on predatory birds decreasing its viability. In humans, this causes defects in newborn babies.
Some of the effects of pesticide on humans are the damage to the reproductive system, nervous system, and other organs, behavioral and developmental abnormalities, interference of hormone function as well as affecting the immunity system. The pesticides gather in the fat deposits in the body where they stay and cause a lot of damage. Most of the infants and young children drinking breast milk ingest pesticides as women who eat fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed with pesticides may pass the pesticides through their breast milk while pregnant women can pass the pesticides onto their fetus.
Some types of pesticides do not wash off with water alone or farmers will not use them. Unless fruits and vegetables are grown organic, the fruits and vegetables that you eat are laden with different types of pesticides. It is important that you properly wash your fruits and vegetables to get rid of the residue of pesticides that may be harmful to our health.